


The Different

by Warp5Complex_Archivist



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Other Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-03-27
Updated: 2006-03-27
Packaged: 2018-08-16 07:29:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8093455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warp5Complex_Archivist/pseuds/Warp5Complex_Archivist
Summary: Phlox uses an experience with the osmotic eel to learn more about humans, and to help Archer understand how important it is to truly look at the things that are different in his life. Archer/Osmotic Eel, Archer/Phox. (10/2001)





	

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Kylie Lee, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Warp 5 Complex](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Warp_5_Complex), the software of which ceased to be maintained and created a security hazard. To make future maintenance and archive growth easier, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but I may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Warp 5 Complex collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/Warp5Complex).

  
Author's notes: 2001 ASCEM GO award, 1st place, Best Ent Slash Story, Best Misc Slash Story, Best Ent Story; Silver Hypo, 1st Place, best Phlox/Other story (Doctor Fuh-Q Fest)  


* * *

_If you're going to try to embrace new worlds, you must try to embrace new ideas._

These words keep going through my mind. It has been several days since Doctor Phlox said them to me, and I think I am finally beginning to understand what he meant by them. But boy, when he first uttered these words, I *thought* I knew what he meant...but when it came right down to it, I was absolutely clueless. Little did I know how quickly my views could change.

Well, perhaps not change, but be altered by circumstances. And the circumstances of the past few days have certainly altered my perception and view of the universe around me...

* * *

I had returned for a second round of treatment for my leg wound. Phlox asked if I wanted to be sedated again, but I declined...I was curious as to how this Osmotic Eel worked, I suppose. Besides, I needed to talk to Phlox about staying on now that our mission to return the Klingon was over. 

If his smile was any indication, I had said the right thing...apparently Phlox wanted me awake this time around as well. Perhaps he was just as curious about my reaction to the eel as I was about the eel itself.

I removed my uniform, and got up on the diagnostic bed as Phlox went over to the receptacle that contained the eel, saying, "This little wonder has been one of my most prized finds to date..." and as he turned to face me, eel in hand, he continued, "its ability to cleans and cauterize wounds are truly amazing."

He held the odd looking creature before me, and a shiver went down my spine...the 'suckers' on the underside of this eel were undulating in anticipation of attaching themselves to my leg, and suddenly, I wondered if I should have opted for sedation after all. 

He obviously saw my hesitation, and placed his free hand on my shoulder as he looked into my eyes, saying, "If you want to understand all that is around you, you must open your mind and your eyes to the things you find to be different...openness to new ideas and concepts will alter your life in ways you cannot begin to imagine."

"Of course, Doctor...its just...well..." I shuddered once more before asking, "will I feel anything when that thing latches onto my leg?" 

He smiled once again, and gave my shoulder a light squeeze as he answered, "A slight tingling, perhaps, but no pain...the only reason I kept you sedated for the first treatment was that you needed to rest, and if I'm not mistaken, you seem the type who would put the ship and its mission ahead of your own health, if you had the chance."

It was my turn to smile, he had pegged me pretty good. I told him as much, then continued, "Let's get this over with, then." 

"Relax," he said, adding, "I have a few tasks to take care of in the lab, but I'll be back in a few minutes to see how you are doing." As I lay back on the diagnostic bed, I closed my eyes and tried to relax...and nearly jumped out of my skin when the tingling started. It felt like fingers, ever so gently caressing my thigh...the sensation was highly erotic, and I found myself becoming aroused. 

Not knowing how quickly the doctor would return, I tried to focus my mind on other matters in the hopes of alleviating my growing erection, but the sensation surrounding my wound intensified. The stimulation seemed to spread deep into the leg muscle in an ever-widening circle which, unfortunately for me, was getting ever closer to my groin.

I was quickly losing the battle when I heard an odd whistling sound heading toward the ward. I made a frantic search for something to cover myself with, but there was nothing...as a last resort, I cupped my hands over my crotch in a futile attempt at modesty. Of course, it was less than adequate, and the contact of hand on cock only made matters worse. I closed my eyes and tried not to think about what was happening.

"So...how is the patient?" I heard him say, and then there was a sharp intake of breath, and a whispered, "fascinating." When I opened my eyes, he was standing next to the diagnostic bed staring at me...hand poised as if reaching out to touch me, yet hesitant. He did not look me in the eye as he asked, "May I touch?"

"What!?!?!?" I exclaimed...shocked by the mere suggestion, yet oddly aroused by the thought of even more stimulation. At that moment, I wasn't sure which bothered me more...the idea of sexual contact with a male, or with an alien. Neither prospect had ever occurred to me, yet here I was, applying the good doctor's advice about opening ones mind to new ideas...and I suddenly realized that the prospect did not bother me in the least. 

Wondering exactly what it was that Phlox saw, I looked down to where my hands rested over my groin, and was slightly shocked to see that the head of my cock had pushed its way into the open and was glistening with pre-cum...I moaned at the sight.

Apparently misreading my response, Phlox withdrew his hand, and stepped back, saying, "Forgive me...I should not have asked. It's just..." and his words trailed off. 

"You've never seen an aroused human male, and you're curious." I was surprised at how matter-of-fact I sounded, considering the circumstances. I could see the hunger for knowledge in his eyes, and figured, 'what the hell'...after all, it *had* been quite some time since I had taken care of myself, which probably accounted for my current condition to a certain extent. Since the doctor was curious, and I was horny, the least I could do was satisfy his curiosity.

"OK...but first, make sure the door to sickbay is locked. I don't want unexpected company, if you get my meaning."

"Oh, of course," Phlox replied, as he hurried out to the main ward and locked the doors. By the time he returned, I had removed my underwear...might as well give him the complete show, after all. "Ah, magnificent," he said, as he returned. 

I was standing tall, and so hard, I ached. The stimulation from the eel was still increasing, and I was beginning to suspect that I would not last much longer...Phlox was sure to get an eyeful sooner than later.

"So tell me," he said, as he bent down close to get a better look. His breath whispering across my hot flesh made me shiver. "Is it typical to experience this, swelling, for no apparent reason? I had read that it took physical stimulation by a sexual partner for this to happen."

"The 'swelling' is called an erection...and although physical stimulation is not always necessary, it is usually needed for ejaculation." I said...usually conversation would prolong the inevitable, but the subject matter didn't seem to be conductive to taking my mind off of things. I continued, before it was too late, "In this case, I am getting a great deal of...physical stimulation...from the Osmotic Eel...and it is...ah...getting more...intense by...the minute." It was becoming too difficult to concentrate.

"How fascinating! I wonder if it, too, is getting sexual pleasure out of the contact...or if that is just a pleasant side effect, due to its location on your thigh." Phlox extended his hand to touch the eel, and a look of surprise crossed his face...turning to me, he asked once again, "May I?"

"Yes, but I may come the instant you do...just thought I'd warn you." I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate on not coming instantly when I felt the cool dry hand touch the tip of my cock. 

"Oh, this is just too interesting...both you and the eel are pulsating...this is definitely a symbiotic relationship unlike any I have ever seen before."

As he finished his observation, I felt my balls tighten, a sure sign that I was about to come. Phlox must have sensed something, because at that moment he grasped my shaft at the base, and started to pump...my hot come spurted out onto my leg, and the tingling sensation created by the eel started to subside.

I opened my eyes to see the eel had released my thigh, and its tendrils were moving over my leg, somehow absorbing my come. I shuddered, this was just too weird. "Um, doctor...did I just have sex with an eel?"

"No...not really...but you did provide it with food. As a matter of fact, a very high-protein meal, to say the least." When the last of my ejaculate was gone, he lifted the odd creature from my leg, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was no trace of the wound. 

As he returned to eel to its container, I looked around for my underwear, but it had fallen to the floor beside the bed...I would have to get up to get it. I sat up, swinging my legs over the side of the diagnostic bed just as Phlox turned back towards me. Seeing my underwear on the flood, he bent down to retrieve it for me, but held it just out of reach, asking, "Would you be interested in continuing this activity in the privacy of my quarters? I think there is still a great deal I need to learn about human sexuality...and if you'd be interested, I could teach you a bit about my own...I think you might find it as stimulating as the eel." 

"Well, I suppose that all depends on whether or not you think our species would be sexually compatible." I said with a wink. 

"Oh, I do believe we will be able to satisfy each other...as long as we are willing to keep our minds open to all possibilities." Phlox handed me my underwear, and then retrieved my clothes for me, before adding, "After all, there are some things in my life that I'll never understand, but the search for understanding is what shapes my life, and makes me who I am. Do you want to come with me now?"

"Yes...I want to go with you now...and I will look deeply into your eyes to try and understand what you know, and all you've seen...and together, we will search for understanding." I slipped my clothes back on, and we made our way to his cabin...

Of course, I don't believe there's any question of his not staying aboard now...but I'll make sure to ask before the nights over.

* * *

"The Different" _from Melissa Etheridge's CD ,"Skin"_

You've never been to the moon  
But don't you want to go  
Under the sea in the volcano  
You've never looked into my eyes  
But don't you want to know   
What the dark and the wild   
And the different know   
Come dance with me now   
We'll dance without a care   
I'm as free as a fire   
And change is in the air   
There are some things in my life   
I'll never understand   
But they become the force   
That makes me who I am   
Come with me now   
Come with me now   
It's time to try   
It's time to fly.


End file.
